


Love is A Rock

by canterofmysinnings



Series: Barlliams Songfic Challenge 2018-2020+ [4]
Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: Cheesy compliments, Coming Out, Diner Date, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, First M/M relationship (Gary), Flirting, Idiots in Love, Light-Hearted, Love Confession, M/M, New Relationship, Opposites Attract, Pet Names, Picnic, Previous M/F relationships (Robbie), Reflecting on Memories, Rock Climbing, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Rule Breaking, Tresspassing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canterofmysinnings/pseuds/canterofmysinnings
Summary: After reuniting, Gary and Robbie enjoy a very fulfilling and loving friendship and they often take each other out for dinner other fun activities. Maybe a little too often... since they end up falling in love with each other. During a forbidden picnic at a rock climbing site, they confess their love and then narrowly escape the wrath of a guard.
Relationships: Gary Barlow/Robbie Williams
Series: Barlliams Songfic Challenge 2018-2020+ [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926196
Kudos: 1





	Love is A Rock

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 4 of my Transfer from Wattpad series, as well as my year-long Barlliams Songfic challenge.  
> Originally published at: 27/05/2018  
> Originally inspired by the song: Angels

The year was 2005. Robbie and Gary had been friends again for a while know, and were both surprised about how fast they became close again after falling out and fighting each other intensely.

Now, they both had a somewhat peaceful relationship, though they definitely had their differences. Gary appeared serious, quiet and intellectual, while Robbie was all over the place, talkative and bubbly.   
The two guys were like Yin and Yang, and they often joked about being polar opposites. They enjoyed each other's company very much, apart from the occasional conflict that luckily was quickly resolved.   
One fateful day while they were eating out on a diner, Robbie proposed Gary a plan which would change their friendship forever.

Robbie and Gary both enjoyed cold apple juice aside steak sandwiches. This was their favourite place to eat out, although the place wasn't especially British. It became their favorite place shortly after Robbie promised Gary that it was a good idea to try and eat at some restaurants in town with foreign cuisine. They had tried a wide variety of restaurants and dishes across town and quite frankly, Gary wouldn't exchange it for anything in the world.

Gary and Robbie enjoyed the lively atmosphere in the diner as they talked about different things they would like to try together. When they finished, Robbie called a waiter for the bill and paid with his card before Gary could protest. Robbie knew by now that Gary was a true gentleman, and he liked to take some of the pressure off him by doing him a favour now and then.   
As they collected their things and walked outside, Robbie turned to Gary and cleared his throat.   
"I have an idea about what I'd like to try with you next time."   
Gary moved closer to Robbie. He was interested.   
"I would like to go rock climbing with you one day it's super hot."  
Gary chuckled. "Wha... Why one day it's hot though?"   
Robbie smirked in confidence. "Because I would like to see what's hotter; you or the temperature."  
Gary blushed, taken aback by Robbie's bold statement.  
"Well... I think I might like that..." Gary confessed. "Do you have a particular place in mind?"   
"Sure! I can show you when we get back at mine." Robbie said.   
As they walked back to Robbie's house, the thing Robbie had said about him. " _Did he just hit on me?"_ Gary thought.

As they arrived and Robbie showed Gary the place he had in mind on the computer, Gary couldn't stop thinking about Robbie's words from earlier. They repeated in his head constantly, and he was unable to let them go.   
Robbie noticed that Gary was acting standoff-ish.   
"Hey, Gaz... Is everything okay with you? You seem a little distressed." Robbie enquired.   
"I'm okay." Gary white lied. "It's just a lyric I can't figure out right now. You know, work and all that. Pressing, innit?"   
"Yeah, yeah." Robbie looked out the window. "Are you in on the rock climbing though?"   
Gary forced himself to stop overanalysing and reply to Robbie honestly.   
"Yeah, count me in."

**Three days later, in an area specially designed for people to rock climb:**

Robbie climbed first with a strong wire connected to Gary, who went second. As they climbed upwards, Robbie tried to entertain Gary with funny stories because Robbie knew that Gary tended to become uptight in situations like these. As they slowly made it upward, they talked about their past experiences with each other. There was nobody else around, so they could do it as loud as they liked.   
"Do you remember that time at the Thai restaurant we went to, and you ate something bad so I had to hold you all night at the loo?"   
"Oh nooo, not that one!" Gary groaned and laughed. Then he remembered a good story to get back at Robbie:  
"Well, do _you_ remember when you wanted to talk to your friend so bad you stormed into his the classroom and it turned out it was in the midst of his exam? Poor bloke was traumatised and so were you! I remember you couldn't even look at him for days after!"   
"Time to stop!" Robbie mocked jokingly. "This isn't funny anymore!"   
"Well, you started!" Gary smirked.   
Gary felt a tug in his rope as Robbie dramatically made it to the top of the rock. He hurriedly followed suit.   
As he made it up there as well, he sat down next to Robbie. Robbie pulled out two flasks of tea and a lunchbox with food he'd prepared for the journey.   
"Careful, it's hot" Robbie said as he placed the flask before Gary.   
Gary carefully opened the flask and sniffed to the tea.   
"You don't happen to have a lemon on you, do you?" Gary asked.  
Gary was surprised when Robbie nodded.   
"Here." Robbie opened the lunch box and sure enough, one of the sections in the lunchbox contained neatly cut lemons.   
Gary gasped in pleasant surprise. "How did you know?"  
Robbie shrugged with a small smile. "Word gets around." He winked.

He offered Gary a ham and cheese sandwich and one himself.   
The two men enjoyed the meal in comfortable silence as they studied the view from the tall, sturdy rocks.

"Are we even allowed to eat here?" Gary wondered.   
"No, actually not... But who's going to stop us?!" He laughed rebelliously.   
Gary smiled in amusement.   
Robbie was truly the most original person Gary had ever met.

They made eye contact a long moment. Robbie's light green eyes against Gary's dark green blues. Then Robbie attempted to speak again.   
"You know, Gary... This might be a little personal but... We have never discussed- Have you ever had like... A girlfriend? Now it strikes me, I've never known- are you even seeing someone?"   
Gary gulped. He hadn't even considered combining "love" and "Robbie". In his mind, Robbie was his younger, camp-ish friend with whom he had an unusual bond with.   
"Um, huh... Yes I've dated a bit you know... I've had a few girlfriends here and there, but they never lasted because they tend to get jealous at all the other girls that throw themselves at me at work in Take That, you know. Honestly, I can't blame them." Gary laughed, nervously. _"Why was Robbie even asking this?"_ He thought to himself.

"Eh, good for you." Robbie said, staring into the horizon.   
"I've only had one night stands. People don't seem to see my fit for something serious. Mostly I just play along, but I feel like secretly, I want something that lasts."  
"A'ight. I know that feeling." Gary agreed.

"There is something I have thought about asking you for a while." Gary confessed. "I have noticed something about you that leads me to see you in a special light, but I don't know if what I think about you is true."

"W-what is it?" Robbie asked, nerves building up.

Gary breathed in and looked Robbie directly into the eyes. "Are you into boys as well as girls?" Gary asked sincerely.

Robbie breathed slowly and his lips slightly parted as he thought about what to reply. But he threw caution to the wind as he figured he could trust Gary.   
"Yes." He breathed. "I like boys too, but only some boys, if you get what I mean? Only some boys..." He trailed off dreamily.

"I totally get it. What kind of boys do you like?" Gary asked. He felt quite proud of himself for getting such a personal thing about Robbie right.

"I like George Michael." Robbie admitted. "He's really hot, don't you think? Just my type."  
Gary felt slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah, he's pretty nice." He said.   
Robbie picked up the discomfort in Gary's voice.   
"Why- Um-" Robbie fumbled, "Wait, do you even like boys?"   
Gary shrugged and stared at the river beneath them just as Robbie did moments before.   
"To be honest, I don't really know. I haven't ever been with a boy before."  
Robbie moved closer to Gary. Gary didn't move away.

"But Gary. You don't have to be with a guy to know if you like them, y'know?" Robbie licked his lips.   
"It's just something you know, a gut feeling you get when you look at a guy you like. It'll feel like sheer joy, magic, it'll feel like you're on top on the world with this guy in question."

"Hmmmm." Gary tried to remember anytime in the past when he'd experienced this feeling. But the images that popped up in his head confused him a lot, and he rubbed his temples to really think. To no avail. The mental images would not change, and the images were only of one single guy.

"Hey, I just thought about it. And you- yes, I get that feeling you're the describing. I'm just confused about if- if it's wrong I think this way about him."

Robbie shuddered as Gary spoke about his attraction to guys for the first time.   
"Don't worry, Gary. Love is never wrong."

Gary got the confidence to continue speaking to Robbie;  
"I think I'm the same as you. I'm only attracted to certain guys. I've just never realised it. Now I have. What's confusing me is that I only seem to find one single guy attractive, and when I- It feels wrong to consider- like- to consider other people than him as-" Gary trembled as all the thoughts which earlier were stacked in his unconscious rambled down like dominos.

"I get it." Robbie spoke softly and supported Gary in his breakdown by putting a hand on his shoulder.   
"Can I ask you who that special guy is?"   
Robbie tried to move closer to Gary as slowly and non threatingly as he possibly could. Gary didn't object, Robbie noted.

Gary leaned in to Robbie's ear and whispered his reply.   
Robbie wrapped an arm around Gary to support him even more.   
Gary felt his heart pound in his chest as he, in turn, wrapped his arm around Robbie in the same manner as Robbie's arm were wrapped around him.

Tightly intwined, Gary saw the opportunity of his life and whispered into the taller man's ear.   
"The special guy is you." Gary whispered. "I like you and only you."  
Robbie smiled, very visibly flustered and happy about how this situation turned out.   
"You have good taste." He flirted cheekily, testing the waters.   
The comment made Gary blush and chuckle, and Robbie followed suit. Soon, both men were roaring of laughter.   
When they calmed down however, an intense eye contact followed. A spark had been lit between them, and it was unstoppable by now.

After the initial awkward tries, the two men threw caution to the wind and decided to finally unite their souls by kissing each other, totally indifferent to whomever might walk in on them.

Robbie initiated the kiss, just like he had initiated so many other things in the course of them knowing each other. Gary kissed back, releasing every single worry he'd ever had about love. He knew that loving Robbie was right, and that they could overcome whatever life threw at them. Robbie knew that he made the right choice as Gary's lips met his. Everything felt like star-crossed perfection, until the pair noticed the sound of footsteps nearby.

Robbie broke the kiss cautiously while still holding Gary.   
The stranger came closer, and both Gary and Robbie could see that it was a plump guy in a dark green uniform.

A guard!   
Robbie, being the impulsive, assertive soul, he collected all their things in a matter of seconds. He threw their jackets into Gary's hands and quickly tossed the backpack onto his shoulders. He then proceeded to grab Gary's hand and frantically whispered to Gary: "RUUUN! RUN FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DEAR, GAZ!"

The two of them wasted absolutely no time running away from the guard, who either was in bad shape or simply didn't like his job all that much. They successed and spent the rest of the day on the beach underneath the rocks. The best thing about it all was that nobody knew what had just taken place. 


End file.
